Guest guest Posted December 4, 2000 Report Share Posted December 4, 2000 Hi Debbie and list, My suggestion is to call the parents of the teasing children your child especially likes (or would like to like!) and talk to them *very* gently, calmly and nicely, about your son's hurt feelings. It would help if you know the parents somewhat and know that they are reasonable people. If you can get at least some of the teasing to stop, then the others may get tired of it sooner. Ideally you could possibly find a parent/child who would stick up for your son. I don't think you can count on the children alone in stopping this problem. Parents shouold be involved. Teasing is bad, bad, bad, and as Irene said in her note, it's not just about being vegetarian, it's about being " different " and must be stopped for *everyone's* good, not just your child's. Good luck to you, and please let us know how things go with your situation...! Warmly, Emily Boulder, Colorado P.S. If it makes anyone feel better, this sort of teasing doesn't happen everywhere. My older son is in 2nd grade (younger son in K) and has never been teased about being vegetarian. Some kids do comment on the fact that he brings the same thing to lunch every day (he's a picky eater!) and one child did say he wouldn't be healthy as a vegetarian (obviously untrue since he's the tallest and fittest in the class!), but no out- & -out teasing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2000 Report Share Posted December 7, 2000 I think as a child I would be embarrased if I found out my mother called other parents to tell them to stop teasing me. How about inviting some of these 'friends' over for dinner and having a nice kid-friendly vegetarian meal that makes them say, " hey, this isn't all bad. " Erika Emily Goodin [emilyg28] Mon, December 04, 2000 8:40 PM ; clarki Re: Teasing Hi Debbie and list, My suggestion is to call the parents of the teasing children your child especially likes (or would like to like!) and talk to them *very* gently, calmly and nicely, about your son's hurt feelings. It would help if you know the parents somewhat and know that they are reasonable people. If you can get at least some of the teasing to stop, then the others may get tired of it sooner. Ideally you could possibly find a parent/child who would stick up for your son. I don't think you can count on the children alone in stopping this problem. Parents shouold be involved. Teasing is bad, bad, bad, and as Irene said in her note, it's not just about being vegetarian, it's about being " different " and must be stopped for *everyone's* good, not just your child's. Good luck to you, and please let us know how things go with your situation...! Warmly, Emily Boulder, Colorado P.S. If it makes anyone feel better, this sort of teasing doesn't happen everywhere. My older son is in 2nd grade (younger son in K) and has never been teased about being vegetarian. Some kids do comment on the fact that he brings the same thing to lunch every day (he's a picky eater!) and one child did say he wouldn't be healthy as a vegetarian (obviously untrue since he's the tallest and fittest in the class!), but no out- & -out teasing. For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to http://www.vrg.org/family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 7, 2000 Report Share Posted December 7, 2000 Hi Erika and Debbie and list, Oh sorry, I made an assumption that Debbie would talk to her son before calling anyone. (Based on my little scenario, first she would need to find out from her son who he would want her to call....) I always consult my son(s) before doing any kind of parent-intervention/communication. So far if there has been a problem, they have always wanted me to " do the talking " - they wouldn't have brought up the situation unless they were seeking some advice or assistance. But that's just our own family's experience, YMMV of course. (Your Mileage May Vary). Inviting one or more of the " friends " and the family over for dinner is a *great* idea. It would be especially nice if the parents were there, too, so you could see how they react if a teasing situation occurred. If they didn't correct it, you would know that you might not want to encourage a friendship with that kid/family! <g> Warmly, Emily - " Erik@feK/mo2 " <erika Thursday, December 07, 2000 4:46 AM RE: Teasing | I think as a child I would be embarrased if I found out my mother called | other parents to tell them to stop teasing me. | | How about inviting some of these 'friends' over for dinner and having a nice | kid-friendly vegetarian meal that makes them say, " hey, this isn't all bad. " | | Erika | Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 9, 2000 Report Share Posted December 9, 2000 > How about inviting some of these 'friends' over for > dinner and having a nice > kid-friendly vegetarian meal that makes them say, > " hey, this isn't all bad. " > I agree! I have done this more than once, but not due to teasing. I have just invited kids over to eat, and then they seem to just " pick up on " the fact that the food is normal. > P.S. If it makes anyone feel better, this sort of > teasing doesn't > happen everywhere. My older son is in 2nd grade > (younger son in K) > and has never been teased about being vegetarian. I have to say my son has never been teased either, but he only went to public school for kidnergarten and 2 months of second grade. Usually the kids he meets are kind of curious. I have a handful of different recipes that I have whipped out when kids are interested in " what do you guys even EAT? " . Sometimes they are sweets and stuff, but it does the trick! > > Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2000 Report Share Posted December 12, 2000 > I agree! I have done this more than once, but not due > to teasing. I have just invited kids over to eat, and > then they seem to just " pick up on " the fact that the > food is normal. > I'd be interested in finding out what you serve these kids that they find " normal. " . We're a vegan family and our food (a lot of times) looks/tastes " weird " to kids from other families. We don't have cow's milk to put on their cereal for sleepovers. I make whole grain pancakes and buy whole grain waffles. We don't eat cow's milk pizza or mac'n cheese. While my kids have adapted wonderfully to the vegan diet, having eaten it their whole lives, many times friends will come over and turn up their noses to almost everything. The only thing I've found that works on all kids is pasta with margarine! Some dinner! Any vegan /extremely picky kid ideas out there? Thanks, Tracy P.S. My kids (kindergarten and 5th grade) go to public school in a very conservative area and have many friends and have not been teased, at least not to where it bothered them. My son (the older one) has been teased good-naturedly and taken it in stride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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